Flanders and Netherlands launch joint integration strategy
Flemish integration minister Geert Bourgeois has announced that Flanders will work with the Netherlands on integration policies and strategies
Common language and norms lead to co-operation
The two ministers want to share experiences on different strategies and introduce new arrivals from abroad to the values and norms of the Low Countries, as well as the common language. The ministries will also exchange statistics on integration, said Bourgeois.
The region also wants to work with the Netherlands on a common strategy to deal with the “negative impact” caused by the rising number of East European migrants. They hope to work more closely with other countries in the Benelux to tackle crime.
Flanders and the Netherlands have developed their own integration strategies in recent years, but many newcomers in the Low Countries remain poorly integrated, according to Bourgeois.
